Irrigation of wounds is a commonly used method by medical personnel to cleanse wounds of unwanted foreign matter. Typically, the irrigation is performed using a disposable syringe and hypodermic needle. Fluid from the syringe is directed under pressure at the wound to dislodge contaminates. The cleansing action necessary to rid the wound of unwanted contaminates creates a splashback of fluids and may also form an aerosol containing both the irrigating fluid and blood droplets. This splashback is undesirable because the medical personnel carrying out the irrigation can be exposed to contaminants contained in the patient's blood.
A great concern of medical personnel is the possible transmission of infectious disease during the irrigation process. This occurs primarily through the fluids which splash back. It is impossible for medical personnel to visually determine if blood from a wound site is carrying infectious diseases such as hepatitis or HIV. Although goggles and facemasks will protect the wearer, those who are unprotected may fall victim to a disease transmitted in the splashback.
There have been many attempts in the prior art to contain the splashback, but none have proven to be completely effective.
Another possibility of transmission of infectious disease exists when the person performing the irrigation is accidentally pierced by the hypodermic needle of the syringe. Splashback may contact the hypodermic needle as the irrigation is performed. As the supply of irrigating fluid is exhausted, which takes a matter of seconds, it must be refilled. This necessitates that the syringe be refilled several times while performing a typical irrigation. Each time the syringe is filled there is a chance of an accidental contact with the hypodermic needle. Thus, the greater the number of times the syringe is refilled, the higher the probability that the person performing the irrigation will contact the hypodermic needle and possibly contact an infectious disease.
Flat, circular splash shields have been utilized in the prior art with irrigation devices for the purpose of preventing the fluids from splashing back toward the irrigating device. These types of devices are typically thin pieces of plastic through which is formed an aperture. This type of splash shield is designed to protect the person performing the :irrigation from splashback, but does not adequately protect others at the surgical site from contamination. A disadvantage of this type of splash shield is inherent in the flat surface and a poor frictional gripping aperture which may cause the shield to dislodge. Should the splash shield separate from the flexible tip, the splash shield would provide no protection whatsoever to the person performing the irrigation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,003, to Stamler entitled WOUND IRRIGATION SPLASHBACK SHIELD, discloses a device which attempts to contain the splashback by employing an elongated parabolic shield. The shield attaches to a syringe which is inserted into the apex of the parabolic shield. In the preferred embodiment, the shield is elongated to a length of 12 cm from the apex of the shield to its rim. The Stamler patent states the device should be used with the rim of the shield 1 cm to 3 cm from the wound. This requires the irrigation stream to travel the length of the shield and the gap between the shield and the wound in order to cleanse the wound. The disadvantage of this device is that medical personnel cannot get close to the wound to perform the irrigation or to irrigate from the inside of the wound, which is often desirable and necessary. The Stamler patent illustrates the effectiveness of the device when the irrigation takes place at a very small angle of incidence to the wound site. During an irrigation procedure, there often occurs a situation where it is desirable to deliver the irrigation fluid at a large angle of incidence to the wound site. It appears in this situation as if the irrigation fluid will splashback in a manner such that the shield will not prevent the fluids from contacting other medical personnel at the surgical site.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,140, to Olson entitled LAVAGE/SUCTION TIP WITH DUAL SPLASH SHIELD discloses a device which includes an elongated barrel to deliver fluid and a pair of splash shields. This device is attached to a corresponding handpiece which supplies the irrigation fluid. The first splash shield is bonded to the distal end of the barrel of the device. The second shield is slidable along the barrel to a position chosen by the person performing the irrigation. This device has the splash shields directly incorporated onto the barrel. It appears that commonly used surgical equipment to irrigate wounds, such as syringes, cannot be used in conjunction with this device. This requires those who may wish to use this device to irrigate wounds to purchase the entire device. This may increase costs to hospitals. The Olson patent states that the first splash shield is preferably sized with a diameter of 11/4 inches. The diameter of the first splash shield limits the usefulness of the device to small wound sites. The Olson patent did not disclose a diameter for the second splash shield, but it appears to be roughly the same size as the first splash shield. The small size of the second splash shield may not provide adequate protection against fluid splashback.
The prior art demonstrates there is a need for a splash shield which is easily attached to existing medical equipment, that effectively contains the fluids which splash back and is constructed at a relatively low cost. The present invention incorporates several features and advantages to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.